Portable electronic devices typically contain batteries for providing power when utility power is not available. Depending on various factors, it may be necessary to recharge a depleted battery when utility power is still unavailable, so portable battery packs have been developed to provide additional power to portable electronic devices. As described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/748,385, portable battery packs may be incorporated into portable structures, such as purses, backpacks, and the like, where the weight of the battery pack is not too noticeable and the portable structure is nearby when a battery needs to be recharged.
In addition, such portable structures may incorporate or be used in conjunction with structure electronic devices such as sensors, actuators, motors, and the like to perform functions related to features of the portable structure (e.g., zippers, buckles, flaps, and the like). In this case, the structure electronic devices may require power, and it may not be convenient or feasible to associate a battery with each one of these structure electronic devices. Further portable structures may be provided with additional features not specifically related to function of the portable structure itself (e.g., solar panels, heaters, etc.). Accordingly, a single battery may be supported by the portable structure to provide power to a plurality of such structure electronic devices.
The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for portable structures that can distribute power, command, and data throughout the portable structure and communicate wirelessly to devices outside of the portable structure.